Danger to Infants: Surveillance for Apparently Life-Threatening Event (ALTE)
Created: 01/01/2023, 19:00
By: Judith Brown
Difficulty breathing, pale skin and slack muscles can be warning signs of an "ALTE".
If there is no underlying disease, there is often no explanation or cause.
In the first year of life, babies are at risk of dying from what is known as sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS.
Fortunately, the number of deaths from SIDS in Germany has been declining thanks to raising awareness among parents and the identification of various risk factors.
In addition to sudden infant death, there is another phenomenon that can be dangerous for babies: the "Apparent Life-Threatening Event" (ALTE), nowadays also "Brief Resolved Unexplained Event" (BRUE) called.
Danger to Babies: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Apparently Life-Threatening Event (ALE)
Doctors distinguish sudden infant death from "apparently life-threatening event" (ALTE).
Both have some similar warning signs.
© Cavan Images/IMAGO
Although both phenomena have similar warning signs, medical professionals distinguish sudden infant death syndrome from "apparently life-threatening event".
This is not a specific disease.
Rather, the term describes the sudden onset of certain troubling symptoms.
The affected babies, for example, no longer breathe or only breathe very weakly in this acute and unexpected condition.
The skin may turn pale or turn blue.
In addition, the muscles of the infants become slack and in some cases choking and suffocation occur.
In addition, the condition can be accompanied by a change in consciousness.
Unlike sudden infant death syndrome, which strikes children while they are asleep, the "apparently life-threatening event" can occur while they are asleep or awake.
However, affected babies can be resuscitated with timely stimulation, with resuscitation being required in some cases.
Six to 40 babies out of 10,000 live births are affected.
Ten percent of the children after the first "ALTE" suffer another one within the next few days or weeks.
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Danger to Babies: Causes of Apparently Life-Threatening Events
In the case of an “apparently life-threatening event”, there is initially no other explanation for the symptoms that occur.
However, in half of the cases, after a detailed examination and medical history by a doctor, a specific cause for the event can be found, so that there is no "ALTE" by definition.
The following triggers can be behind this, among others:
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Infections such as meningitis (inflammation of the meninges) or sepsis (blood poisoning)
Nervous system disorders (such as seizures or brain tumors)
Breathing disorders such as whooping cough or influenza (flu)
Digestive disorders (e.g. difficulty swallowing)
Narrowing or complete blockage of the airways
heart diseases
Babies affected by "ALTE" always have to be admitted to the hospital and are monitored with the help of heart rate and breathing monitoring, among other things.
In addition, it must be clarified in detail whether there is a risk of sudden infant death.
Among other things, doctors carry out a detailed anamnesis, a physical examination and laboratory diagnostics.
As soon as a cause is found, the therapy is geared towards the underlying disease.
However, in cases in which no other explanation can be found and it is therefore an "ALTE", home monitor monitoring is recommended because of the risk of recurrence and the unclear situation.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.